The Pull Apart Bread is a bread made from pieces of sweet leavened dough, which are baked together in a pan after each piece is individually coated with melted butter, cinnamon, sugar and chopped pecans. It is served in the United States for breakfast as Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread.
The final result looks like a “loaf”, but to eat it you pull off one ball at a time (literally “bread to pull apart”).
It is also known as “monkey bread” (monkey bread) because it is a finger food, eaten piece by piece with the hands, as a monkey might do.
In fact, it is a Hungarian dessert: arany galuska (“golden dumpling”), a recipe dating back to 1880: Hungarian immigrants brought this dish to America and introduced it into the country’s food scene through Hungarian Jewish bakeries from the mid-20th century.
As it became more popular in America, arany galuska was confused with the “monkey bread” in which the dough balls are not coated in cinnamon and sugar but only in butter.
While the sweet version has European roots, the savory versions are a typically Italian-American evolution.
The use of garlic butter originated in the United States as a substitute for olive oil (which was more expensive in the early 1900s) to recreate the flavor of Italian bruschetta, giving rise to the whole family of “Garlic Breads”.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 12 servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 480 all-purpose flour
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 1 bustina baking powder (packet)
- 200 ml milk
- 40 ml water
- 180 g butter
- 1 egg
- 40 g pecans
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 Bundt pan Bundt pan 9.5/10.25 in
Steps
Mix 320 g (about 2 2/3 cups) of flour with 40 g (about 3 tbsp) of sugar, the packet of baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
Heat the milk together with the water and melt, but not completely, 80 g of butter (about 6 tbsp / 3 oz).
Stir this into the flour mixture.
Add the egg and the remaining 160 g of flour (about 1 1/3 cups), then work/knead for about 6–8 minutes until a ball forms. Let it rest to rise for about 10 minutes.
Divide into 36 pieces and roll each into a small ball.
Mix the cinnamon with 160 g of sugar (about 3/4 cup) and the chopped pecans.
Melt the remaining butter.
Dip each ball first in the butter and then in the cinnamon-sugar-pecan mixture, then place each piece into a greased bundt pan and pour any leftover melted butter over the top.
Let rise until doubled, then bake in the oven at 356°F for 30 minutes and serve warm.
In the ninth episode of the event series “Dexter: New Blood” the Pull Apart Bread is served at Christmas lunch and is colloquially called “monkey bread“.
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The yeast dough ready-made is often used for Pull Apart Bread.
FAQ (Questions & Answers)
Is there also an accordion (loaf-style) version of Pull Apart Bread?
Yes, the accordion version (often called Pull Apart Bread in the narrow sense or Loaf Style) is a modern variant that uses the same dough but presents it differently.
Here are the main differences:
The technique: Instead of making balls, you roll the dough into one large rectangle, fill it, cut it into squares and stack them vertically in a loaf pan (like the pages of a book).
The result: When baked, you pull off a thin, flaky “slice” rather than a single ball.What are traditional American savory versions of Pull Apart Bread?
There are several savory versions that have become classics of American cooking, often served as appetizers during parties or sporting events.
The most “traditional” and common savory variants in the United States include:
Savory Garlic & Cheese Monkey Bread: This mirrors the sweet version. The dough balls are coated in garlic herb butter (parsley, rosemary or thyme) and often mixed with plenty of cheese (usually Cheddar, Mozzarella or Parmesan) before baking in the bundt pan.
Garlic Knots: Born in New York in the 1940s as a way not to waste pizza dough scraps, these are small knots brushed with butter, garlic and parsley. They are often baked close together in a pan so they can be “pulled apart”.
Pull-Apart Cheese Bread (or “Crack Bread”): This version often uses an entire loaf (sourdough or rustic loaf) scored in a grid but not cut all the way through. The cuts are filled with melted cheese, garlic butter, scallions and sometimes bacon. It’s hugely popular for picnics and barbecues.
Everything Bagel Pull-Apart: A more recent but now classic variant that borrows the flavors of the famous Everything Bagel (sesame, poppy, garlic and dried onion) combined with a creamy cheese filling inside the dough balls.
The recipe shown in the VIDEO is GLUTEN-FREE and made with SOURDOUGH STARTER.What is the recipe for a savory Pull Apart Bread made with sourdough starter?
You can find a tasty recipe on the blog of my colleague Sara from SaraBuonoDavvero with sourdough starter featuring fresh pesto, cherry tomatoes and a sprinkle of Pecorino Romano. Click on Focaccia pull apart with pesto and cherry tomatoes.
